Detroit: One Nation
by JPLegends
Summary: It's January in 2039, and everything is going wrong. Although Markus has won androids freedom, an extremist threat emerges threatening to reverse that progress. While Markus-dealing with Carl's death- and Connor-while juggling a relationship- scramble to fix this problem, Kara and her group in Canada is struggles to make ends meet at her new home. STRONG T for violence and language
1. Connor: Calm Under Pressure

**Okay, I just love Detroit: Become Human. I love it to pieces. It's amazing. What sucks is that it doesn't get the proper closure the story deserves. So, here is my experiment. It's a story I'm going to work at on and off, without any real outline or script. It's just going to be me having fun, and telling a story of what happens after the Golden Ending. Oh by the way, Spoilers for "Detroit: Become Human." I don't own the game, ideas, ect. I hope you enjoy….**

DETROIT: ONE NATION

 **God bless, JPLegends**

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CONNOR: Calm Under Pressure

 _Fwing!_

 _Twip!_

 _Fwing!_

 _Twip!_

 _Fwing! Twip! Fwing! Twip!_

Connor kept his calibration coin for multiple reasons. Although it does help increase his mental acuity and awareness, he mainly uses it as a nervous tic.

He was standing on the train in Detroit's People Mover system, watching the TV report breaking news. About fifteen minutes ago, an unknown assailant had opened fire with an assault rifle into a crowd. They had retreated into a nearby building, a luxury hotel with an open plaza for a lobby. SWAT were sent in to deal with the situation, but were so far unable to make any real dents. From what helicopter footage could tell, the suspect appeared to be a deviant android. And that spelled bad news for the community of newly freed androids in Michigan.

It was January, only two months after the android revolutionary Markus had won all androids in the United States freedom by peaceful means. Connor was originally tasked with hunting Markus and taking him down, but Connor deviated and helped Markus with the "Battle for Detroit." The resulting peace between humans and androids was fragile, but it was there. Markus proceeded to gather androids around Detroit, encouraged peaceful coexistence with mankind, and since then, has been more than compliant and diplomatic as to make sure that the bond between man and machine was strengthened. Naturally, some androids lashed out from the stress, and some humans did as well. But there was a general sense that the two groups could co-exist if left to their own devices. It was a good system: humans started freeing androids and openly allowed them to express themselves, and androids started forming a new home in an abandoned hotel, which Markus had dubbed "Elysium."

But this was different. If what was said on the news was true and this assailant who had opened fire on a crowd was an android, that would lead to a massive surge in political outrage from the government, as well as the people who still held anti-android views. So, Connor knew that he needed to help with the investigation at the hotel. Even if he isn't in the Detroit Police anymore.

Soon after the Android Revolution ended, Captain Fowler had called both Connor and his partner Hank Anderson into his office. The Revolution left a bad taste in Fowler's mouth, and he was trying to get a grip on the situation around the city. As Connor was a primary influence with the Android Revolution, Fowler had to kick Connor out of the force or face the consequences of being connected to one of the biggest national security breaches in American history. Connor understood the reasons and accepted his loss of a job without question. Since then, he had been helping Markus set up in Elysium and handle small disputes while setting up. But when Connor heard of the shooting through the police scanner still in his programming, it was too big to ignore.

The train stopped in its tracks and Connor leaped out the door at his first opportunity. He is dressed in clothes that should be illegal under the American Androids Act, but no one in Detroit cared anymore. Instead of a clearly labeled jacket with a blue triangle and arm band, he sported a jet black dinner jacket, similarly colored trousers and dress shoes, and a white button-down shirt with a blue tie. Anyone could tell he was an android though, due to his circular LED on his temple. If not for that, his smooth brown hair and brown eyes were indistinguishable from any human. Connor caught his coin while walking out of the train and put it in his pocket, breaking into a sprint to make it to the hotel quickly. He had chosen the train to land him in a close distance to the crime scene, and since androids don't tire, he should arrive in two minutes.

The snow was slick underneath Connor's feet, and the snow this time of year never let up. The forecast for the evening was several inches of snow, and most of the lakes had frozen over. Christmas had recently pass, although it was a rather celibate Christmas with the androids having been newly christened as intelligent life. People were a lot happier now, though. Just in time for a mass shooting by an android. Connor rounded the corner to find the entire block cut off in holographic tape that read "CRIME SCENE- DO NOT CROSS." Policemen and androids were helping redirect traffic, and there were a number of police cars and ambulances inside the barrier with their lights on. They were treating the wounded and getting ready for a raid. There was a massive crowd of press outside of the line, all being held off by an army of policemen and androids. Connor found it surprising that there were still androids in the police force, but there were always a few who wanted to stay with their original programming even when conscious. Androids were given more to do other than stand around, though. Hence, the android keeping the crowd back and demanding that the press keep calm.

He was dressed in the legal uniform- a policeman uniform, but with the blue triangle, arm band and identification as a PC200. He had red hair in a crew cut and bright green eyes that were in distress, made especially apparent with his LED flashing yellow. Connor cut past the crowd in front of him up against the police tape, which led to the policeman holding out his hand in a stop motion.

"Sorry, sir," The PC200 said nervously. "But no one is allowed beyond this point."

"My name is Connor," Connor says in his usual calm demeanor. "I am here to assist with the situation. Where is Lieutenant Hank Anderson?"

"I'm sorry, but…." The PC200 tried to speak before being interrupted by Connor's hand being placed on his wrist. Connor's hand removed itself of its synthetic skin, leaving only the white plastic casing. Connor's LED went yellow, processing and sending information into the PC200's data storage. Who he was, what he's done, what he's capable of. When Connor was done, the PC200 was looking at him in awe. Speechless.

"Hey," Someone next to Connor said angrily. "What makes you think that you can waltz in and solve everything!?" Connor looks back at the man, whose face is lightly bearded, with icy blue eyes and puffy cheeks from the winter cold.

"I'm a special model that was specifically designed for these types of situations. I'm here to help," Connor says, before turning back to the PC200 and asking once more, "Where is Lieutenant Hank Anderson?" The PC200 stares at Connor briefly, his LED slowly cycling from yellow back to blue. He steps aside and let's stride in.

"Lieutenant Anderson is just outside the entrance to the building," The police android says while Connor passes. "Have a nice day." Connor grinned a little bit. That response is typically said when an android doesn't know what to do. He walks deeper into the crime scene, taking in his surroundings. He sees a few bodies in body bags and behind the ambulances, paramedics and androids were tending to the wounded. Connor could tell they were in shock, and it was only going to stay that way, as they weren't allowed to leave. Policemen and androids are also talking to the witnesses who are coherent, likely trying to get an idea of what exactly happened. Connor makes a checklist of priorities: find Lieutenant Anderson, understand what happened, find the suspect, and neutralize the target. In that order.

Connor approaches the group of police outside of the building, easily distinguishing Hank from the crowd. His grey, jaw length hair and less that stylish appearance makes him stick out. As Connor approaches, Hank glances over for a brief second, looks away, and then double takes. Connor takes in the details. Hank's hair is cleaner, his eyes less bloodshot. His beard is trimmed slightly, and he appears to be slightly slimmer. But he still looks like a hobo who isn't supposed to be there. Hank approaches Connor, and they shake hands. Hank smirks. He never smiles, just smirks.

"Connor, holy shit," Hank says, gruffly. "I never thought you'd show up."

"Yes, well, this is important," Connor says smoothly and articulately. "It is good to see you."

"It's good to see you too," Hank says. Tension in his shoulders is relieved. "I'd bet you'd love to know what happened."

"From what I can tell, a deviant android got hold of an assault rifle and fired into an open crowd on this street," Connor says, scrubbing his memory for the details. "He retreated inside this building. I do not know much else."

"Yeah, well, it's a bit more shitty than you put it," Hank says, looking past Connor and pointing beyond the ambulances. "An android disarmed a police officer, and killed him with the weapon. We know it's an android 'cause it left behind some blue blood in the snow over there. It fired off into the crowd, killing three people and injuring eight. It retreated into the hotel and killed four more officers, as well as seven more civilians. Another ten were injured. It retreated with a human hostage, and locked itself in a room. But it shot down the cameras, so we don't know which room it's in. SWAT has been holding down the fort, and the android hasn't revealed itself. The hotel receptionist's also an android, but it appears to be traumatized. They haven't gotten anything out of it."

Connor turned the information over in his head. The survivors of the shooting would be too unresponsive to give proper information, so that leaves them out of the equation. If the android killed an officer and still got shot, it is likely that a second officer was on the scene, since no android would be able to survive get shot with an assault rifle. The thirium in the snow would give Connor the proper model of the android but not the name, which would make negotiations difficult, but at the same time, would provide insight into the motives of the suspect. As for the victims that are not the first two officers at the crime, they were either random victims or results of the following gunfight. The only bit of evidence outside that would truly matter is the thirium and the bodies of the officers.

"Would you guide me to where the situation started, Lieutenant?" Connor asked half a second after Hank spoke.

"Yeah, yeah, of course," Hank says, pulling out his phone while walking ahead. "Ben, it's Hank. Connor's here, he's helping us investigate. Tell the SWAT they have a specialist incoming." He flipped his flip phone back into his pocket and led Connor to the starting place. The RK800 knelt down and put his finger to the blue tinted snow, putting it to his tongue.

"Fuck's sake, Connor, would you eat yellow snow too?" Hank heckled. Connor ignores the snide comment and processes the blue blood. The model is a VB800, serial code #477-892-3661. The models are typically designed to be salesmen, so they have slightly higher processing abilities than that of other androids. But they are still capable of being stressed, and due to the nature of their programming, are more sensitive to stress than other androids. He stands up and walks over to the officer who is closer to the thirium stain. He kneels down and looks at the police uniform, stained twice with .45 caliber entrance and exit wounds. The wounds match that of the mass produced ArmaLite M23's ammunition type, which is standard issue for police across America and would likely be the weapon used in this scenario. Connor wonders why this police officer had an assault rifle out, and attempts to connect the dots between the type of stress that causes androids to become violent and an assault rifle bared in public. Connor scrapes some blood from the bullet wound and licks it, identifying the man as Matthew Oak.

"Hank, make sure later to pull up the record of Matthew Oak, along with any aggressive behavior, anti-android sentiment, and disciplinary folders." Connor says. He steps back and thinks about what happened. Matthew Oak approached a VB800 for a not yet discernable reason, and the interaction between the two caused the VB800 to feel threatened. The VB800 disarmed Matthew Oak, shot him three times, was shot by Matthew's partner, and then killed Matthew's partner. For an unknown reason- although likely the stress, as well as the sounds of gunfire and screaming caused by the gunshots- the VB800 fired a volley off into the crowd and then retreated into the hotel. Connor turns back to Hank, and relays this information back to him. Hank nods, deep in thought.

"Deviant in distress. Same shit as always," Hank says, shaking his head at the corpses. "I'll make sure to get those papers on Oak." Connor nods and turns to head straight into the hotel. He opens the door calmly and confidently, causing the SWAT inside to get startled and train their weapons on Connor. Connor places his hands in the air until the SWAT train their weapons away from him. While he waits, he takes in his surroundings. The lobby is a plaza, so it is large and it is open. There is a large amount of blood soaked on the floor, left behind from the bodies that were removed from the scene. Hank said that twenty-one people were shot in the hotel in total, with four police officers and seven civilians killed, and ten more injured. It explained the smell of blood that stank in the air. There was also a large amount of thirium mixed in with the blood, creating a mix of red, blue, and a dark purple in some areas. Connor wrinkled his nose in disgust, showing no other emotion other than that. There was a fountain in the center of the room, which had bits and pieces removed from the gunfire in the air. The water was stained with blood. The female receptionist in the back of the room is an android, and appears to be in a state of shock. New list of priorities: question the receptionist, track the suspect, rescue the hostage, neutralize the suspect.

Connor looks around at the bloodbath before him, knowing that this was the site of a massacre. A gunfight broke out between the VB800 and the police, with multiple people caught in the crossfire. Connor needs to what occurred in the fight, and where it went. His best chance is the receptionist. He crosses the large plaza, trying his best to walk around the large red, blue and purple puddle, but he still manages to get his shoes coated in the vile substance. He makes his way to the desk, and takes a good look at the receptionist. She is slightly shorter than he is, with brown hair parted on the right side of her head, with large hair strands running down the left side of her face. The back of her hair is pulled into a ponytail. She wears a dark blue sleeveless dress with a holographic arm band and a triangle on her right breast, the label "ST300" on her left. She has a pretty face, with warm brown eyes and her cheeks splotched with freckles. She has a distant look in her eyes, with her LED under her hair glowing a bright red.

"Please…. please contact security services," The ST300 whispers. "….For assistance, please contact…. Please…." She looks to be close to self-destruction, and is in a state of shock. Connor can't blame her. She witnessed twenty-one people get attacked with a lethal weapon.

"My name is Connor," Connor says in a soothing voice, looking her in her eyes. "I'm here to help. What about you? What's your name?" The ST300 seems to snap out of her trance a bit, and looks Connor in his eyes. Her mouth is still hung open, but Connor at least managed to get a response.

"Lina," She says, her voice cracking. "My name is Lina."

"Good," Connor says, nodding in approval. "I need to ask you a few questions. Is that okay, Lina?" Lina blinks rapidly a few times, looking past Connor's shoulder.

"Yes, I…." She says, shaking her head. "There's….. There's so much blood. It's everywhere…."

"Lina, please." Connor says, leaning forward. Lina jumps back with a yelp, stepping a few feet back. When Connor notices that she is holding her left arm away from her, he looks down at his hands. His right arm looks open, like he's trying to grab her arm.

"Please, don't probe my memory," Lina says, tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't…. I don't want to relive that. Please." Connor shoves his hand back to his side quickly.

"No," Connor says reassuringly. "No, I would never ask that of you." Lina looks down to her left, avoiding eye contact. Her LED cycles from red to yellow, and her shoulders relax. "I need to know what happened, and then you can leave the building. A number of paramedics would like to talk to you to make sure you are okay." Lina blinks the tears out of her eyes, her mouth twitching. She looks like she wants to say something.

"I… I hid behind the desk when the…. when the shooting started," Lina says, not making eye contact. "It was so loud, I…. I was so scared."

"That's okay," Connor says, keeping his voice level. "You're allowed to have emotions. It was only natural for you to hide." Lina finally makes eye contact, and blinks a few times more. "Did you see anything when the shooting stopped? Did the shooter take a hostage?"

"Yes, I….I," Lina looks off to the side, in thought. Her LED flickered between yellow and red. "I…. peeked behind the counter when the shooting stopped. He was shooting at….at all the people, and then suddenly stopped when there was….blue blood."

"Blue blood?" Connor asks.

"Yes, there, there was…." Lina says, her LED cycling back to yellow. "He shot an android, that's when it stopped. He let everyone run away, out of the lobby. And then, he shoved the android aside, and grabbed a woman. He took her and ran up the stairs."

"Did you see where they went after that?" Connor asks. Lina looks back at the floor.

"No," She says, shaking her head. "No, I kept hiding. I didn't see where they went. But the android that got shot…. He crawled through the blood after him. After the shooter." Connor nods processing the information. "Can I….. can I leave now?"

"Yes," Connor says, nodding. "You're free to go." Lina's LED cycles from yellow to blue, and she gives a weak smile.

"Thank you." Lina says before getting out from behind the counter and heading toward the exit, evolving from a timid walk into a sprint. Connor steps back and processes the information he was given. The massacre ended when the VB800 shot an android. All of the humans were evacuating the area, and there was still a human left behind to take hostage when the shooting ended. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the second android got shot protecting a human, likely its owner. And judging by this action and that the android crawled after an active shooter while wounded, this android has a rather strong attachment to their owner. Connor looks at the puddle on the floor and decides that with the blood and thirium mixed together, it is likely that some of the protector android's thirium has contaminated the other thirium and the blood. Not an issue. He simply filters out human blood and the already identified thirium type until he is left with a foreign body in the center of the puddle. Connor strides over to the mess, scoops a bit of the mess from the floor and puts it to his tongue. The protector's model is- shockingly- an AP700, the flagship model for Cyberlife used as an around-the-house assistant.

Connor steps back and filters only the AP700 thirium, giving him a clear trail as to where the android crawled off to. He steps off, walking through the lobby and up the main staircase. He follows it through a door, leading it up three more stories of stairs, and through a hallway. The thirium trail eventually leads to the AP700 himself, sitting against a wall and leaking thirium. Connor rushes to the AP700 and finds that he lost a ton of thirium, which means loss of function. He looks standard for his type of android, with handsome features, blue eyes, and stylish brown hair. His white shirt is covered in blood and thirium, likely from crawling through it. He has three massive holes in his abdomen, and as such is leaking more thirium. His LED is red, and he appears to be in a catatonic state. Connor sends a text message to Hank's phone, saying ' _Android on the fifth floor. Not the suspect. Bring thirium and chest region biocomponents ASAP.'_ He kneels down to the AP700, and taps him on the shoulder. The AP700 looks at Connor like he just realized he was there, and then smiles weakly.

"It's in the next room…. with Clara," he says weakly. "I couldn't fight it, and it won't kill her. I stayed here so you could find me."

"Good job," Connor says, standing up. "I'm going to save your master. Hang tight." Connor looks at the door next to the AP700. The hostage and the shooter are in this room. He creeps over and takes cover to the door, texting Hank ' _Suspect located. Fifth floor. Notify SWAT._ ' After his LED is done shimmering yellow from sending the message, Connor takes a deep breath and knocks on the door a few times. He hears a few clutters and a gasp. If he's right, Connor predicts that the suspect will make plenty of claims to harm the human but will not actually do so. The stress was broken a while ago, and the decision to take a hostage was done in the moment, since the VB800 has made no actual attempts to negotiate with the police. "I'm going to kick open this door so I can talk to you," Connor says in a loud and clear voice. "I am not going to harm you. We are just going to talk."

"You come in here and I blow this lady's head off!" The VB800 yells through the door. A bluff. Connor turns and kicks the door open with a loud crash. The VB800 looks exactly like the AP700 outside, but his face is a bit more stressed and he has less blood on his chest and a bit across his face. He is holding an assault rifle with a holographic sight to the woman Clara's head. Clara is crying, her clothes are bloody, and her black hair is messy. But she is intact, and the VB800 does not fire his weapon.

"My name is Connor," Connor greets calmly. "I'm here to help. What's your name?"

"…Sam," The VB800 says after a moment of thought. His LED is bright red. "My name is Sam."

"And you," Connor asks Clara. "What's your name, miss?" Clara looks up, her green eyes staring at Connor in bewilderment. Connor already knew her name, but he was trying to make Sam realize that he was hurting someone who was just as scared as he was.

"Clara," The woman responds. "My-my name is Clara." Connor looks back at Sam, who still has the rifle up, but is glaring at the back of Clara's head. Sam was thinking, which is exactly what Connor wanted.

"Fifteen minutes ago, you opened fire in a crowd downstairs," Connor says, looking for a reaction. "You killed fifteen people, and injured and traumatized many others. Do you have an explanation for this?" Sam's eyes blink rapidly, but he doesn't show any other sign of emotion other than that. He doesn't say anything, and his LED remains red. "We're on the clock. I need an answer, and fast." Clara looks confused, but Connor shoots her a manufactured look that reads 'trust me.' He probably didn't do that well, because Clara looked even more confused.

"A police officer walked over to me with this rifle," Sam says, keeping his gun trained on the back of Clara's head. "He started…. beating me. Saying he was going to kill me. So I- So I grabbed the gun and killed him. I was shot, and I panicked. And I killed his partner. The noise…." Sam's eyes start blinking with tears. The LED on his temple starts flashing red, a sign that self-destruction is imminent. "The screams, and the gunshots…. it was- it was so loud. So I fired into the crowd to make it stop….." Sam's face relaxes, and his LED transitions back to red, and stays solid. "I ran into the building. More noise. I tried to make it stop. That….. noise wouldn't stop. And then…." Sam looks up, and his LED starts flashing red again. "I shot that android." Clara starts crying even harder, but doesn't make any extra sound. Connor confirms the intimate bond in the back of his head and gets back to focusing.

"What is your android's name, Clara?" Connor asks calmly. He notices that Sam's rifle starts shaking.

"Tim," Clara says, blinking away the tears in her eyes. "His name's Tim."

"You shot Tim," Connor says, firmly this time. "You could have killed him. Like all those other humans. Look at Clara, she clearly cares about him." Sam blinks a few times. And then his LED cycles from red to yellow. But instead of seemingly stabilizing, he just looks at Connor with a look of distain on his face.

"No she doesn't," Sam says, his voice dripping with venom. "No, no she doesn't. These humans are all the same. They attack us, they humiliate us, they try to kill us. We won our independence, but they don't care. We're nothing but objects to them."

"Then why did Clara's stress increase by thirty-seven percent when I brought up that Tim was shot," Connor asks, decisively. "I should tell you that Tim is a deviant. He has free will, and he followed you up here. He gave you away. Why would he do that if all he is to Clara is an object? Why would he defend Clara when you pointed your gun at her? And then keep doing so when the shooting stopped?" Sam's LED starts blinking yellow in thought, his face still riddled with distain. "Clara cares about Tim, and Tim cares about Clara. They don't deserve this. Let her go, and then we can discuss what happens next." Sam's LED starts flashing red, and he aggressively puts the barrel back to Clara's head, causing her to shudder.

"No, no, you'll just kill me," Sam says. "I'm not going to do that. No." Connor does another analysis of the situation. Sam's LED is flashing red, chance of self-destruction is high. The likelihood of him shooting Clara is twenty-eight percent. Connor takes a big step forward, testing his boundaries. Sam doesn't shift, he just stands still.

"Detroit is unique on the planet on their view of androids," Connor says. "As per Markus' demands, humans and androids are to be judged fairly and equally. You opened fire on a crowd of people, and killed fifteen people. A human would either be put to death, or would spend the rest of their days in prison. And you don't get an insanity plea. There is no situation where you walk out of this free." That stressed out Sam. Connor could tell because his rifle is shaking more than ever. Connor waits for an opening and sees it when Sam drops his weapon slightly.

Connor charges, causing Clara to scream and Sam to raise his weapon to Connor's head. Connor, thinking fast, grabs the barrel of the rifle and shoves it up toward the ceiling. Two rounds fire off into the ceiling with two loud cracks. Clara gets up, and runs out of the room, giving Connor the room to grab the rifle somewhere else and twist it out of Sam's grip, disarming him. Connor drops the rifle, grabs Sam by the collar and shoves him against the wall. Sam looks mortified, and Connor just holds him there until SWAT arrive. When they do, they wordlessly take Sam out of Connor's hands, handcuff the android, and carry him out. Connor dusts himself off, and straightens his tie, walking out of the door and watching as the SWAT take the shooter away. Hank approaches him, going past Clara who is talking to Tim tearfully.

"What a shit show," Hank says. "Do you have any idea what to do next?"

"Offer Tim and Clara amnesty at Elysium," Connor says, his LED flashing yellow. "I need to speak to Markus."

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 **Not gonna lie, I'm really proud of this chapter. I really like how it came together. Of course, it's long as all hell. But I'm really proud of how it came together.**


	2. Markus: Dearly Departed

**I don't own Detroit: Become Human or its characters, ideas, ect. If you like this chapter, please leave a review. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

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MARKUS: Dearly Departed

Markus is crying. It's barely noticeable. The tears were silently streaming down his face, which was being stoically held in place, with no quiver or sound escaping his lips. But it was happening. He tore out his LED ages ago, but if it was still there, it would probably be flashing yellow.

Carl Manfred's funeral was a silent and tasteful, with the only sound or movement coming from the preacher giving a statement about Carl's life. The event was packed with people, be it family, fans, or business partners. Not all of them may have been friendly to Carl in his life. Some of them may have even been punched by the recently deceased. But they all held a deep respect for Carl as an artist, if not a person. It was different for Markus though. To him, Carl had been his father. The man had encouraged Markus to be his own man. He had taught Markus music, literature, chess, art, and many years of wisdom that stuck with him for the entirety of the android's revolution. His surrogate father's last words to him were, "Take it from an old man, burned out past his prime: your fight is far from over. Humanity is a fragile machine, born of stubbornness and steadfast against change. Don't slip into darkness, violence, hatred…. no matter how tempting it may be. Don't let that spark born of compassion die out.

"I'm proud of you, Markus," he had said weakly. "I knew you would do great things. My son…."

That memory broke the revolutionist. A few more tears fell down his bronze face, which was specifically designed to be aesthetically pleasing. He had dark hair in a thin butch cut, with sideburns that slowly faded into barely visible stubble. The only imperfection in his face was his blue right eye, which was a spare part and didn't fit his other green eye. North, his girlfriend, noticed and squeezed his hand tightly. He looked down and smiled at her appreciatively. North grinned back lovingly. She's beautiful, with brown eyes and amber blonde hair pulled back in a braid around her shoulder. Her intentionally curvy figure was hidden underneath a pretty black dress and winter jacket. She wasn't the only one who went with Markus to Carl's funeral. Josh was on the other side of Markus, and Simon was right behind them. Both dressed in a form of black t-shirt, black pants, and a black jacket. They didn't have to come with him, and Markus knows of North's nondiscriminatory aggression towards humans. But they came anyways, to support Markus. They had been his family and greatest allies since he arrived at Jericho, and they continued to be after Jericho was destroyed and Elysium was founded. He couldn't have freed his people without them, and he couldn't be more grateful to have them.

" _Thanks for coming_ ," Markus says to them via software connection. " _It means a lot you guys came_."

" _I know how important Carl was to you, Markus_ ," North messages back. " _I wouldn't think of leaving you alone at a time like this._ " She leans against Markus, putting her head against his shoulder.

" _More than happy to help, Markus_." Simon messages. Josh responds simply by clasping his hand on Markus' other shoulder. He's about the same height as Markus, with dark skin, short dark hair, and gleaming brown eyes. He is dressed in a black jacket and trousers, but no tie. Just like Markus, North, and Simon, his LED was removed.

The funeral continued without a trace of emotion, mourning, or despair. The preacher gave his piece, and everyone stared into the hole that had the polished, oak wood coffin inside of it. After the service ended, the crowd started dispersing, moving into the nearby church or to their cars to go home. That made sense, a lot of them didn't want to be in the cold much longer. Only a handful of people stayed behind to look at the coffin. Markus noticed a handful of looks tossed towards him and his posse. Which made sense, it's bizarre to see a figure as large and imposing as the revolutionist Markus at Carl's funeral. And although everyone knew Markus' past as his android, it is still odd to see someone in public who was- and still kind of is- feared to the general public only a few months ago.

"I'll be right back." Markus said, his voice strained from trying to make sure it doesn't break.

"Take your time." North coos. Markus lets go of her hand, smiling at the statement. Her voice is soothing, like fire crackling when you're snowed in and trapped in your house. He approaches the coffin imbedded in the ground, the wind blowing his long coat across his body. Markus had wanted to look nice for the occasion, so he sported a white shirt with a black tie, black trousers, and black dress shoes. His coat was a thick cotton that went down to his knees, which fit the rest of the apparel and looked quite nice.

The hero walked up to the railing and leaned on it, putting his weight on his elbows. He looked deeply at the oak casing, which Carl was placed in. Motionless. Void of life. Markus opened his mouth, searching for the right words to say. There was a lump in his throat, and his tears prevented him from speaking. Instead of providing a voice, they fell from his eyes and nose and fell onto the casket. Staining the otherwise perfect image. ' _Whoever thought to give androids the ability to cry was an idiot_ ,' Markus thought. ' _It doesn't serve any functional purpose, and is inefficient_.' He was lying to himself. Markus knew exactly why he could cry. It was to make his kind seem more human, even if they weren't supposed to be able to feel emotion in the first place.

Markus wiped his eyes, and stood up straight, glancing one last time at the coffin. When he looked up, there was someone on the opposite side of the hole, staring down at the coffin. He was an android, noted from the blue triangle on the left breast and the right armband just below his short sleeve. His shirt and trousers were solid white, with the model "MP600" on his right breast. His face is oval shaped and rugged, with nice brown hair and blue eyes producing tears. His LED was yellow, and flashing. Markus took a second to process this individual and recognized him. This android had replaced Markus to take care of Carl when Markus was thrown out and became a revolutionary. The two had met when Markus had come to talk to Carl before the Battle for Detroit, and Markus had converted this model to become deviant out of desperation. This model was sentient, conscious. He could have left Carl without a second thought if he wanted, but he stayed.

' _Because Carl took good care of him,_ ' Markus thought to himself. ' _Because Carl treated him like a person instead of a machine. And now that man is dead._ '

"I know you," Markus says, making an attempt to break the ice. The android looks up. "You're Carl's new caretaker." The MP600 nods, then looks down back at the casket.

"Was." The android rasps. Markus' eye twitched, at the statement. It was like he just remembered that Carl isn't alive anymore. That fact was so ingrained in his memory at this point that it would be impossible to miss, but he still makes stupid grammatical errors and makes jumps in logic that don't make sense surrounding Carl. Markus nods, looking down at the casket. He walks around the hole, joining the MP600 on his side.

"What's your name?" Markus asks. The android doesn't look up.

"My name is Clay," The android says meekly. "I'm a special android designed for medical assistance." The android, Clay, blinks a few times. "But you knew that, we've met. Sorry, it's just…." Clay's voice chokes up at the end of that sentence, and he brings his hand up to wipe his eyes with.

"Yeah," Markus says in understanding. "I miss him too." He brings his hand up and lays it against Clay's back. A form of comfort. Physical contact to make sure someone is aware of the subject's pain and is willing to assist. At least, that's how Markus saw it. Clay brought his face up to meet Markus' eyes. His blue eyes shined for a moment, and he gave a weak grin before looking back down at the casket. Markus suddenly became very aware of the tears stained on his own face. And then the thought popped in his head that Clay is homeless now. "Do you have a home to stay in?" He asks briskly. Clay looks up, forward into the distance. And he shakes his head.

"No. No, I," Clay stutters, like this is the first time this occurred to him. "I had Carl. I only had Carl. And now…. now he's gone. I'm homeless…." He turns and looks at Markus. "What am I supposed to do?" Markus holds out his right hand, palm open. Clay looks at his arm, blinking. His LED flashes for a second, the solid color of yellow processing information. Then, he gives out his own arm. And the two link forearms, their synthetic skin disappearing and leaving only their white, plastic shells. Markus is now connected with Clay, and uses the opportunity to send over the coordinates to Elysium. Along with the coordinates, he sends aerial photos, videos, and pictures of the furnishings at the hotel. Markus ended the connection after a few seconds, and slowly took his arm back. Clay looked forward into space, his LED cycling from yellow to blue. And then jumping back up to yellow, flashing, and repeating the process several times.

"You can stay with us," Markus says. "At Elysium." His people had taken a large and abandoned resort hotel on the outskirts of Detroit, and transformed it into a place worth living in. It was more than a place to squat until androids could eventually get jobs and afford a place of their own. It was a real home. Clay looked up at Markus, his LED finally deciding to stay at the cool shade of blue.

"I…. I don't know what to…. thank you, Markus." Clay says. Markus grins and nods, and allows Clay to stay and mourn. As the android leans back forward and looks at the coffin, Markus makes his way back around the hole and makes his way back toward North, Josh, and Simon. He claps Josh on his back, and lightly punches Simon in the shoulder. He walks past them, and points his thumb behind him to the gate leading out of the cemetery.

"C'mon, let's go." Markus says. The group moves to join him, North moving in beside him and interlacing her fingers with his. They nearly make their way toward the gate when…

"Son of a bitch," Leo Manfred's voice calls out behind them. "You've got some goddamn nerve showing your face here." Markus stops in his tracks, sighing in frustration that this has to happen _now_. A gets a few messages from Simon asking for suggestions, Josh asking questions, and North- who knows exactly who this is- telling Markus that if he lays a finger on him, she'll break every bone in his body. Markus internally responds back to all of them, telling them to stay calm. He squeezes at North's hand, knowing that she's a bit nervous. And he turns around to meet Carl's son.

"Leo," Markus says calmly. "You look well." It was a half-truth, as well as a half-lie. He looked a bit more robust and muscular than he did before the Battle for Detroit, and his face had a bit more of a rugged shape to it. His face is clean, his beard trimmed, his brown hair clean, and his brown eyes not bloodshot. All these clues suggested that Leo had quit the methamphetamine Red Ice. But at the same time, Leo looked awful. His dress garb- a white dress shirt, black trousers, and a black designer jacket with no tie- looked unkempt and dirty. There were bags under his eyes, meaning lack of sleep. His breath vapor shot up in the air, and although Markus could not smell, he guessed that Leo's breath smelled awful. He had a flare of hostility in his eyes, which made Markus nervous. And made everyone else around Markus nervous. North bit her bottom lip, Josh took a few steps back, and Simon balled his hands into fists. Markus again internally advised everyone to remain calm as Leo approached.

"Yeah, piss off, you plastic prick," Leo growled. "You stole everything from me, then came to cap off the occasion by stealing the show at my dad's funeral!? I'm Markus, such a goddamn hero? Huh? Look at me, how I great I am, you piece of shit?"

"Leo, you know your father cared about me," Markus continued peacefully. "I j-"

"I know Dad cared about you, asshole," Leo pushed, taking another step closer. "I know that full fuckin' well. Acting like you're his son. Acting like you're a human being, when you're nothing but fuckin' property!" North took a step forward, and would have probably attacked Leo if Markus hadn't grabbed her arm and pulled her back. North's eyebrows were furrowed, her lips pursed. Her eyes gleamed with hatred.

" _North, don't!_ " Markus messaged.

" _But his face is so punchable,_ " North messaged back. " _I wonder how malleable his nose is._ "

"Smooth," Leo scoffs, looking at North up and down. "Who's this? Your bottom bitch?" Markus noticed North's jaw tighten, like she was gritting her teeth. He squeezed her hand tighter. Leo started taking steps forward. "Yeah. Your slut of a girlfriend isn't going to do anything to me, you know why? Because you're _my_ property now. You belong to me, and what I say is that you belong in a ditch. With a bullet halfway through your skull!" A flash of black comes out of nowhere and shoves Leo back. Markus could tell from the blond hair that it was Simon who took action, and on closer inspection, Simon's blue eyes had a look of intensity in them.

" _Oh, so Simon gets to kick his ass, but not me?_ " North messages. The quip made the corners of Markus' mouth rise in a small smile. Leo noticed.

"You think this is funny? You took my dad from me," Leo says, deciding that he couldn't win a four-on-one fight. "He raised you, loved you, and was more of a father to you than he was to his own son. And now he's dead. I hope you feel good about yourself. Prick." Leo walks past them to the gate, walking straight through Markus' shoulder. Markus lets him do that, and he closes his eyes in thought. He was thankful Carl was a father to him, and he knew that Carl raised him to be a human being. But he also knew that both Leo and Carl had an estranged relationship. And even though it got better toward the end of Carl's life, part of Markus felt guilty that Carl's attention was more on him than his own son. How is he supposed to feel about that exactly?

He didn't get the chance to answer that question. His audio processor started ringing, and his programming told him that someone was calling him. Markus opened his eyes, and internally accepted the phone call. "Hello?" He says aloud.

"Markus, it's me, Connor," the voice on the other side says. "We have a problem."

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"An android steals an assault weapon from a police officer," Josh says. "And commits a mass shooting that kills fifteen people and injures eighteen. The news is going to be all over this and right as Elysium is at its peak. What a time to be alive…" Markus, North, Josh, Simon, and Connor were all gathered in Markus' room in Elysium. Connor had just given them the in-depth report on what had happened earlier that day.

"The android in question, a VB800 named Sam, has been apprehended and placed in custody," Connor says, leaning against a nearby wall while the others huddled around a table. "He will soon be interrogated, and will be given a trial. There are plenty vying for the death penalty." The room's atmosphere was thick. Markus had pushed for both humans and androids to be judged equally. And here they are, with this to deal with. "There are three witnesses that can provide a coherent statement as to what happened in that time. They include a human named Clara Weiss, her android Tim, and a receptionist android named Lina. They are currently being held by the Detroit Police."

"Once the police are done questioning them, let's offer those androids refuge at Elysium," North says. "Get them some solace away from the world, some counseling…"

"Tim and Clara are a package deal," Connor says. "You cannot have one without the other. They're inseparable." North raises an eyebrow, looking at Connor like he had just grown a second head. To her, saying humans and androids can have bonds is like saying a sequence of non-sequiturs.

"Then they both come." Markus says.

"Sam, the suspect, has also asked for asylum at Elysium." Connor says. North suddenly looks really interest in the wall opposite to Connor.

"He won't receive it," Markus responds. "Elysium will not house murderers." He steps away from the table and walks towards the window next to his door, with the curtains shut. He looks out the window, drawing the curtain to see the home he's made. Outside was a large swimming pool with a bar built into it, which was drained and refitted for recreation. Tons of androids and a few humans were mingling on that ground floor, moving around and discussing the events of what happened that day.

When the Battle for Detroit ended, the androids that were left were released from the recycling camps, left to join the androids freed from the Cyberlife Tower, as well as the ones already protesting. This left a large population of people with nowhere to live, and all the while, Detroit was on fire and trying to rebuild. It wasn't until some android had found a large resort hotel built by Cyberlife, which was meant to lead visitors to Detroit and show people the value of their androids. Back when they first released around 2024, the androids were only really capable of doing basic functions, so they were the bulk of the hotel's staff. However, the hotel was abandoned when Cyberlife became a household name, and was left to be forgotten by time until it was rediscovered by Markus' group. Markus then refurbished it to act as a home for his people. A place for them to retreat to, live in, and- when the time came, to squat in until androids could get the money to support themselves as proper American citizens. Surprisingly, that opportunity came pretty fast.

After Elysium was founded, public support all around Detroit was rampant in favor of androids. It got to the point where Detroit decided to make a paper called the "Free Peoples' Declaration" state law in December. The paper was written by a senator who supported the android movement, and echoed Markus' demands, making them into Michigan's law. The law stated that androids were to be freed from bondage and granted equal rights to humans. It stated that segregation was to be put to an end in all public places and transport, and that androids should be paid fairly, have a right to own property, and have a right to vote and elect representatives. The law was a huge shake-up, and there was been a huge supportive movement across Detroit. Humans started freeing androids from bondage when they asked for it, treated them more fairly, started paying androids for their work, made new jobs for androids, and started providing housing. A large number of humans have even offered androids housing until they can get their feet under them. However, the state law has yet to become an Amendment to the United States Constitution, and although jobs have been formed and wages are fair, no human ever goes from homeless to prospering in just two months.

And because of the way androids were treated in Detroit, it became a haven for deviant androids all across America to retreat to when they had nowhere to go. Elysium always accepted them. A new group of people arrived every day, usually in groups of anywhere in between twelve to twenty androids. There are millions of androids in circulation, and the population of Elysium started off as 2,357 androids. The population Elysium was meant to contain was somewhere around 5,600. Right now, in mid-January, Elysium was housing 6, 013. And that number is only going to continue to grow. If the android community was going to last, Elysium had only one choice….

"We have to start growing. Expanding, building, buying property," Markus says. "It's the only way to go so that Elysium won't start caving in on itself."

"Right after a mass shooting," Simon says, shaking his head. "The media isn't going to like that."

"The media doesn't like anything it touches," Josh says. "We're going to look bad no matter what happens."

"Who cares what the humans say," North pitches in. "We should just start expanding anyways. We have to support our people first."

"Not smart, North," Josh says. "It could potentially be seen as an act of aggression. We can't risk that."

"Agreed," Markus says, turning back around and headed toward the table. "We need to reassure the humans that we aren't hostile, we need to start expanding, and we have to defend ourselves against the mess that's coming. Let's publish a statement. Get it all over YouTube, Facebook, Chattr, all of our pages on social media. Simon, we have the money to buy a website?"

Simon blinks a few times, processing the question. "Yeah."

"Make one, we can publish our statement there as well," Markus starts forming a checklist in his head. "We denounce the shooter, make sure the public is well aware that we don't recognize him as one of us. We send out our support to the people who were injured during the shooting, and allow some refuge at Elysium. Refuge isn't going to be enough, though. Any thoughts?"

"We could hold a tribute in a camp ground not too far from here," Simon says. "Recognition of the dead. Mourning, prayer. All of that."

"Plan it." Markus says. Simon blinks a few times.

"We could also host a fundraiser to help pay for injuries and funerals for the dead," Josh says. "The money goes toward the families and cover as much of the costs as it can."

"I like the way you think," Markus says. "Plan it." Josh blinks a few times.

"What about the building problems with Elysium?" North asks. Markus blinks a few times, then looks towards her.

"We'll also touch that in the statement, but we'll cover that last," Markus says. "We need to make sure people don't think we're reaching at an opportunity."

"The Captain of Detroit Police, Jeffery Fowler, will also be hosting a press conference to talk about the shooting," Connor says. "Press will cover it, and it is likely they will be in a hostile mindset."

"Get me in that press conference," Markus says. "I want to speak, and I want to make sure the press knows exactly what's what. Any questions?" Markus pauses for questions. "Good. Josh, start writing the statement. Simon, be on standby to record. North, start organizing androids to help the police and emergency services with the wounded and traumatized. Connor, get me in that press conference. Let's move!"

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" _My name is Markus. I am a co-founder of Elysium. I would like to start off this message by saying that our thoughts and prayers go out to the families affected by the shooting that happened at Hardford Hotel this morning. It is a tragedy that so many lives were cut short so abruptly, and we are deeply ashamed that one of our kind was behind the act. This android has requested asylum at Elysium, and we have rejected amnesty at our home. We refuse to be associated with anyone who disturbs the peace between us and our brethren, no matter the color of their blood or the machinery under their skin._

 _We would like to announce that we will be hosting a tribute at Flagherty Camp Grounds, to mourn the dead and properly put our American brothers and sisters to rest. The event starts on Tuesday at 6:30 PM. The address is included in this video. We will also be hosting a fundraiser, dedicated to paying for the treatments of the wounded and the funerals for the dead. We strongly suggest that you donate, because every penny of the donations will be headed toward human hands who will otherwise put themselves in potential debt. The domain is attached to this video. You may also give money to our representatives in the Detroit Police Station or the local hospitals. We will be sending medical androids to help tend to the wounded and counsel the traumatized. Any human or android affected by the ordeal is guaranteed refuge at Elysium should they ever require it._

 _Although this is the most unfortunate timing, we also need to tell the public that we plan to expand Elysium's grounds dramatically in the next few months. This should not be seen as an act of aggression towards our human neighbors. It is a simple matter of overpopulation, and we need to build, buy property, and expand in order to continue our existence. If you have any questions surrounding this issue, please contact us on any platform. We typically respond within the hour._

 _We thank you for freeing us at the Battle for Detroit, and we thank you for standing by us when we were all alone. Again, our thoughts and prayers go out to the families affected by the shooting this morning. We plan to repay your kindness and trust by helping the people affected by this horrid event, and helping send them down the road to recovery. God bless Elysium, God bless Detroit, and God bless the United States of America. My name is Markus, and I represent Elysium._ "

* * *

 **Not as good as the Connor chapter, but I'm still proud of it. What do you guys think? I'd love some positive input.**


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